All the news that’s fit to regurgitate

Jimmy Carter, the liberal that most Republicans love to hate, said some bad things about Mr Bush. Basically he said that Bush is the worst president in history when it comes to America’s foreign relations. The jury is still out on that one, but I’d say the man has a shot at the title. We’ll see how Bush’s last few years play out. In an odd move the White House fired back and called Carter “increasingly irrelevant.” Um, Mr Bush, if Mr Carter was irrelevant as you claim…there would be utterly no need to respond to his claims now, would there? I think it’s far more accurate to say that Bush is increasingly irrelevant as he has backed himself into such a corner that he has fewer options domestically or internationally every day. And I’ve never quite understood the loathing the right has for Carter, Dear God, at least the man has principles unlike 99% of politicians, Republican or Democrat. I sometimes wonder if that is what they most loathe about Carter, he makes all the rest of the sorry lot in Washington look bad as they feed at the public trough.

Sadly there has been fighting in Lebanon, the worst since the end of their civil war some seventeen years ago. Long story short, the Lebanese army is fighting with Fatah al-Islam (a Palestinian militant group) fighters who are based in a Palestinian refugee camp. There are twelve Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon that the Lebanese government is not allowed to enter due to an agreement made with the Arab League in 1969. Many of the Palestinian refugees have lived in these camps since the creation of Israel in 1948. What a situation.

Some say Syria is trying to cause trouble, some say Israel is stirring up the problem, people like me say “who cares.” This is just another legacy of the unresolved situation in Israel and the occupied territories. That Palestinian refugee camps have existed for more than sixty years is appalling and makes all the players involved look bad. In a side note, some Lebanese were observed cheering as Lebanese tanks fired into the refugee camp. Go figure, Christians cheering while Muslim innocents are killed? I thought only Muslims cheered when innocents were killed. Insert rolled eyes here. Hopefully this won’t expand into something worse and cooler heads will prevail. I know I say that a lot, but it’s worth repeating.

In Gaza, the world’s largest refugee camp, violence continues. Palestinians fight each other and shell Israel, Israel responds in turn. Everyone involved blames the other side for a another legacy of the creation of Israel in 1948. It’s far past time that the Palestinians and Israelis, all of their factions, sat down together and worked out a deal that everyone can live with. Won’t happen during the Bush administration, deals are for wimps in the Bush play book. Plus his international influence is waning daily, though many would disagree. Note that Iran continues to call his bluff, that’s proof enough for me.

In Afghanistan and Iraq violence continues to spiral upwards as attacks on westerners increase and the west increasingly uses air power to respond. Which of course kills innocent civilians and makes the west even less popular…which increases attacks on westerners. In both countries their legislatures are considering bills asking that western forces leave their respective countries. Who would have guessed it, the people of Iraq and Afghanistan would rather solve their own problems. Ingrates, don’t they understand we invaded and occupied their countries for their own good? OK, I’m being sarcastic here. There are some reports the new British Prime Minister is going to withdraw British forces from Iraq. I can’t see the USA holding out much longer after that, but who knows.

In other words, the depressing start to another violent week. My Vietnam War quiz is almost ready, and Memorial Day is coming up, so going to be more war posts this week.

(The above image of Jimmy Carter was taken while he was president as part of his official duties, as property of the Federal Government the image is public domain under US law.)

11 Responses

Carter is right Bush is infact the worst President of USA but he related to to foreign relations only which is incorrect. Bush is the worst President in the history of USA on domestic issues as well as foreign relations. Bush also is mass murderer killing 1 million people (rough estimate includes Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and whereever his favorite “war on terror” going on).

I have lost all the hopes for any peace deal between Israel and Palestine. They don’t want to live in peace. The problem with the fighting is that too many innocent civilians get killed which makes me hate all the fighting factions more than ever.

Unstable Lebanon is not in the best interest of USA and I believe the unrest there could be the result of Shiite Sunni conflict in Iraq.

Bush blaming Syria or Iran will not solve any of their problems in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You write very well. I really enjoy reading your posts. I was wondering what is the situation like in Afghanistan. We hear everyday something, but I don’t “get” it. Maybe you’ll have sometimes something about it.

Beirut car bombing confirms that Sunni Shiite Iraq conflict creeping into neighboring countries. Christian neighborhood also hit by car bomb and these are two very bad signs pointing to another bloody civil war between Sunni Shiite and Christians in Lebanon.

Afghanistan is not Carter created problem. The most worshiped Conservative Ronald Reagan is the one to blame who had completely abandoned Afghistan after USSR withdrawal. Reagan was good actor with no real wisdom. Iran and North Korea are actually are Bush regime created problems not Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton.

He cavorts with dictators and bad-mouths his own country. He should NOT be doing this no matter what his opinions are.

He is a sad sack of shit who was a weak president, presided over the worst economic times in recent history (20 % interest rates!).

And he had nothing better to do than to tell the American public that he did not really know what to do about it! I recall his televised speach clearly.
My jaw went slack when he displayed a TOTAL lack of leadership by shrugging his shoulders and saying he was going to have to consult with his 12 year old daughter Amy about the economic situation..

I used to think better of him but his continued attacks on the American system itself have earned him nothing but a new found loathing for that asshole.
A weakling looser critical of us on the global stage, Carter deserves NO respect anymore.

He should keep his yap shut and keep to building houses for humanity.

Carter kisses the asses of commies and STABS his own country in the BACK… yuck and disgust !

Conservatives hated Carter for the same reason they hated Clinton–he was a Democrat and he was President. He had power, and he wasn’t one of them. Inexcusable, in their eyes. They attacked–and attack–them becasue of that, latching onto whatever reasons circumstances provide to justify their attacks.

Me, I think Carter is the best ex-President we have. I think he has made a better ex-President than he did President–he’s really made something of the role. He’s put his time and money where his mouth is. He does more to support democracy around the world than just talk about it; I don’t even know the number of times he’s helped to assure fair elections in other countries. His Carter Center (Foundation? I don’t recall) is not just a monument to ego, or history, it actually promotes various socially beneficial causes, such as Habitat for Humanity. Should he have held his tongue about Bush? I don’t know. I seriously doubt that what he said will have any serious or lasting consequences, and in the long haul I think historians will decide he was correct. ET seems to think what Carter said about Bush was an attack on America–but Bush isn’t America, no matter what ET–or Bush himself–thinks. Maybe it was–what, rude perhaps; but sometimes one’s values should trump conventional politeness, and perhaps for Carter this was one of those times.